The doors opened again after Silas left.
Athena hadn't realized how tightly she'd been holding herself until her arms began to ache.
Two women entered quietly.
Not the men who had brought her here.
These women were dressed simply, their expressions calm and respectful. Not cold. Not harsh.
"Come with us," one of them said gently.
Athena hesitated.
"Where?"
"To your room."
Your room.
Not a room.
Something about the wording made her chest tighten.
She followed them through long stone hallways lit by torches that crackled softly against the silence. The fortress felt endless. Alive. Like the walls were watching her just as much as the people were.
They stopped in front of a heavy wooden door and pushed it open.
Athena stepped inside slowly.
Her breath caught.
This wasn't a cell.
It wasn't dark or empty.
It was... beautiful.
A large stone room with soft lighting, thick furs across the floor, a fireplace already burning low. A massive bed sat against one wall, covered in dark blankets. There were carved wooden dressers, a wash basin filled with steaming water, folded clothing laid out carefully beside it.
She turned in a slow circle.
Confused.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked quietly.
One of the women offered her a small smile.
"Because you are important."
The words made her stomach twist.
"I think you have the wrong person."
They didn't argue.
They simply bowed their heads slightly and left, closing the door behind them.
Athena stood there alone.
The silence pressed in around her.
She walked to the bed and ran her fingers across the blankets.
Soft.
Warm.
Nothing about this made sense.
If she had been kidnapped, why wasn't she being treated like a prisoner?
Why did this feel like a place prepared for her?
Her chest began to tighten again.
That strange pull.
Stronger now.
She pressed her palm over her sternum.
Right where the ache lived.
Tears burned behind her eyes.
"James..." she whispered.
And for the first time since she had been taken...
Saying his name didn't bring comfort.
It brought confusion.
She moved to the basin of water slowly and dipped her fingers into the steam.
Warmth wrapped around her skin.
She hadn't realized how cold she had been.
She washed her hands.
Her arms.
Her face.
And as she did, her breathing began to slow.
Her thoughts began to quiet.
The pull in her chest didn't feel painful anymore.
It felt... steady.
Present.
Like something waiting patiently inside her.
Athena changed into the clothes they had left for her.
Soft fabric. Comfortable. Nothing like the tight, structured outfits she wore at home.
She climbed into the bed and pulled the blankets around herself.
The fire crackled softly in the corner.
Her eyes grew heavy.
And just as sleep began to pull her under-
A distant howl echoed through the stone walls.
Low.
Deep.
Powerful.
Athena's eyes fluttered open.
She listened.
Her heart didn't race.
She wasn't afraid.
Instead...
A strange sense of calm spread through her body.
Like the sound belonged here.
Like she belonged here.
She curled into the blankets and closed her eyes.
And for the first time in a long time...
She slept without dreaming.